Sunday, April 28, 2013

The Power of Structure and Routines

Try to imagine your life
“unstructured”: you don’t know when you are going to have food again, or where
it’s coming from; you don’t know at what time you’re going to be home, or if
you are going home at all today; you don’t know when you are going to be done
with a non-preferred activity, how long it’s going to last; and you don’t know
when you are going to be able to rest, have fun with you preferred activity or
see your loved ones again. In sum, your life is unpredictable, uncertain,
chaotic.

I don’t know about you, but
I’m “freaking out” just by thinking about that possibility.

Your child might be living in
that state of confusion and anxiety all the time. So, let’s structure.

What does "Structure"
mean?

A predictable and
consistent daily schedule
(time-space-people in charge). Lack of predictability increases anxiety, which
leads to problematic behaviors. Yes, I’m talking about your kids. Are you with
me?

Predictability is what your
children need, and something you can implement at home. You don’t need
complicated IEPs, or your insurance to approve services, balanced
state/federal budgets or lawmakers to pass bills.

--Keep times,
places and people in charge as consistent as possible. Start with the “must do”:
meals, bed time, etc.

--Adjust the
environment to focus on the activity. For example, turn off the TV when it is
bed time.

--Present scheduled
activities in a positive manner. Do not be overly rigid. Some flexibility is
necessary.

--Include free and
play time: children need it.

--It is very
important to allow time for transitions between activities. For example, when your
child comes from school he/she typically will need some free, unstructured
time. Or when transitioning between activities. Prepare the child ahead of
time. For example: "It is almost dinner time, so you will need to come in
soon. Be ready to put your toys away".

--Have preferred
activities follow non- preferred activities. In order to be able
to do the desired activity, the child has to finish the undesired activity. For
example, "homework first, then play"; or "bath first, then
video".

Children may not have
independent play skills. You may have to set aside time to play with your
child.

Choices can be built into the
schedule by allowing the child to choose between 2 activities, such as
"bath or shower", or "going to the park or to the store",
or "video or TV".

In sum, structure and
routines do not mean “militaristic”. They mean “predictable”.

Very
cost-effective: easy to implement, excellent benefits. Sometimes, the solution is simple.